If you do not qualify for emergency benefits, DTA has to decide on your application and make sure you get your SNAP/food stamp benefits within 30 days after the day you apply. The amount you get should be retroactive to the date you applied if you are eligible. 106 C.M.R. § 361.700(A).
If DTA cannot decide on your application within 30 days of the day you applied because some required proofs are missing, DTA will deny your application and send you a notice of pending denial. If you give DTA the missing proofs within 60 days of applying, DTA must "reopen" your case. DTA cannot make you start a new application. See What if I am having trouble getting all the proofs, or the proofs get to DTA late?
Produced by Patricia Baker, Laura Gallant, Deborah Harris, Rochelle Hahn Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Last updated January 2011
